Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Brownswood Recordings is back with Future Bubblers 8.0, the eighth volume of their influential annual compilation the highlights fresh talents as part of Gilles Peterson's network with support by Arts Council England and PRS Foundation. This new volume continues to spotlight unsigned talent and grow the audience for experimental music by helping emerging artists build sustainable careers by sharing revenue directly. Past artists include Yazmin Lacey, KinKai, and Lynda Dawn who have gone on to make their own mark and now this new vinyl features six tracks blending r&b, soul, funk, rap and electronic influences into all new sound worlds.

Review: The first vinyl release to grace the freshly-decked halls of the newly minted Lost In The Rhythm label, the EP known by no name other than 'EP' is a promising debut sampler of a new curative effort and community-first initiative, helmed up by Rob Coley aka. RevolutionsLDN. With the express aim of blending the soulful, intestinal feelings of deep and Chicago house with its ancestral roots, the EP achieves a rawly hewn yet neatly knitted sound; one first laid down by Floyd Vader and DJ Solid on the A, the latter of whom especially dazzles with the saw-washed amapiano-ish melancholy of 'I Like To Kiss', whose machinic dunduns serve to taper off our inhibitions to a sunset vanishing point. The pace is lifted on the B-side's choice, Mikekon's 'It's Yours', which indulges a sparse Afro-driven palette, as we're treated to a suggestive, therapeutic monologue from vocalist Novakone Omega: "I'm giving you... *the*... license... to get you some... break you off some... take you some... come get it... it's here... it's waiting..."

Review: 'Pili Pili' by Jasper Van't Hof catapulted the fusion band into the limelight in 1984, with its infectious blend of African rhythms and jazz sensibilities. This 12" EP, featuring the iconic 15-minute original alongside a 2024 Coyote edit, offers a complete tribute to the songs history. Remastered and cut for maximum impact, both versions showcase the band's dynamic energy and innovative approach to fusion music. From the hypnotic groove of the original to the reimagined Coyote edit, each track exudes a timeless appeal that will undoubtedly wow listeners on the dancefloor. This release is a testament to Pili Pili's enduring influence and Van't Hof's pioneering vision in bridging musical cultures.

Review: New York City's Jennifer Vanilla - aka. Jennifer Vanilla and Brian Abelson - offered a portal into a colourful world of innovative electronic sound with their 2022 debut album Castle In The Sky, traversing a new wave, post-punk, art pop, and experimental r&b aesthetic. Now Love Injection - the just as wonderful duo of Barbie Bertisch and Paul Raffaele - team up for a booster jab to bolster Vanilla's original shot of liquid amour, also delivered via the medium of 12". Here the original track features in full naked glory on the B-side, while two live-giving remixes from Love Injection - 'Earthly' and 'Celestial' - appear on the A and B respectively. The former takes its time, through djembe and hopeful pad wash, to deliver a blissfully organic take on the original; the latter aims more squarely for the flickering stars, and is more immediate in feel. An overall exquisite, deep, spiritual house release, with an unusually soft and dubbed-out palette, reminiscent of the deeper ends of Y2K broken beat and wild, long-form nocturnal galas a-la Joaquin Claussell.

Review: The Vendetta Suite returns in early 2025 with a stunning pair of singles on Hell Yeah, blending acid acerb, house heat, disco d'oeuvres and a Balearic bliss. Long thought by some to be Belfast's best-kept secret, the Suite has garnered well-deserved traction for his genre-spanning productions, fusing ambient, post-rave, dub and psychedelic. First up, 'The Jam Answer' reinvents acid house with dusty analogue drums, hypnotic 303s, and cosmic cantatas; then the flipper 'Island Hill Microdot' drifts over into dreamy Chicago house and IDM, offering a lusher, tuned bamboo percussive pelagi-scape.

Review: It's a while since we last heard from Bruno 'Patchworks' Hovart's Afro-disco focused Violaaa project, so this surprise set of remixes of back catalogue tracks is more than welcome. Fittingly, three of the versions come from Hovart himself under different aliases. There's a fine, tropical-tinged, sun-splashed Violaaa revision of 'Tu Mens Divant Moi' that doffs a cap to zouk music, and two deep house-tinged Patchworks versions of classic cuts. The mix of the outfit's underground hit 'Spies Are Watching Me' is a brilliant alternative take on a familiar favourite (it certainly breathes new life into the track), while the samba-house-in-Ghana revision of 'Ben Bene La' is brilliant. Throw in a quality J Kriv deep nu-disco version of 'Ku La Foon' and you have an excellent EP of tasteful, club-ready cuts.

Review: A warm welcome back to Bruno Hovart's Voilaaa project, traditionally a revivalist Afro-disco vehicle best known for 2015 dancefloor smash 'Spies Are Watching Me'. 'Fache', featuring Pat Kalla, explores similar sonic territory, with punchy Afrobeat horns, woozy chords and crunchy clavinet licks rising above a low-slung, hypnotic, dub disco-meets-Afro-boogie groove. It comes accompanied by a fine, effects-laden instrumental dub and a trio of similarly tasty bonus cuts: the warming, early garage-house and deep house influenced 'Trouble Travel' (featuring Jai-Nah), the languid, soulful and Latin-influenced 'Too Young To Die (featuring Olivia)' and the Afro-speckled disco-goes-jazz-funk loveliness of 'Trop Jeune Pour Sa'.

Review: Orlando Voorn is always spoken of as one of the key links between European and Detroit techno. Here though, in collaboration with Han Litz, he sinks into his house sound on open 'What I Love' which is utterly gorgeous with its Roy Ayres flutes, jazzy keys and warm, soulful drums. The Soulfood Mix ups the jazziness and makes the drums more raw, then 'Composers' brings more warming house vibes that are heartfelt and musical. A Downbeat mix reduces the original perfectly for a more cosy, cuddly feel.